Tim Tebow: ‘He can run, he can throw and he can field. I think it’s gonna be fun to see how he does,’ said his throwing coach, former major league pitcher Tom House.
Photograph: Brynn Anderson/AP

Baseball’s savior has come.

On Sunday Alex Rodriguez became the latest big name to exit the sport. Derek Jeter ducked out two years ago and David Ortiz announced his impending retirement before this season. Three household names gone forever from the game.

Baseball is blessed with a bevy of young players boasting the skills and talent of Jeter, A-Rod and Big Papi in their prime. But none of them are icons. None are even close. Mike Trout is a better player than Jeter ever was, but how many Americans outside of hardcore baseball fans could pick him out of a lineup? Bryce Harper has the personality and flair of a breakthrough star, but not the consistent production. It’s hard to be the face of the sport when you’re hitting .233.

At a time when the sport’s cultural relevance is slipping, baseball suddenly being without a single player who drives mainstream discussion and gets eyeballs on the product is a real problem. Attendance is down, all-star game ratings hit an all-time low and supposedly marketable talents like Harper have fewer Twitter followers than random second- and third-tier NBA players. Big-name sports stars draw casual fans in and make them aware of other talents – players like Nolan Arenado, Carlos Correa, José Fernández and Kris Bryant – and then those guys in turn become household names. A-Rod and Big Papi were the last two players left with that kind of cultural cachet. If the Cubs and Cubs alone don’t make a deep postseason run this October, postseason TV ratings might be lower than Clayton Kershaw’s (regular season) ERA.

Baseball isn’t the first sport to hit a dry patch, of course. All sports go through lulls. The NBA felt barren after Michael Jordan’s final retirement, but it still had Kobe and Shaq and LeBron on the way. Baseball doesn’t currently have a player in the same zip code.

Or at least it didn’t until Tuesday.

Whatever you think of Tim Tebow’s new career path, he’s a huge name who has decided to play baseball. Beggars and choosers and such. Assuming Tebow does well in his tryout later this month, he will be in a major league team’s system next spring. And, really, even if he doesn’t do well in his tryout, he will be in a major league team’s system next spring. There is zero chance that all 30 organizations turn away a talented athlete, whatever his flaws may be, who can help them sell some jerseys and fill up their Single-A stadium for a season.

Tebow in baseball pants means baseball on SportsCenter and First Take and Access Hollywood and sports blogs and social media and wherever it matters to be to generate that intangible buzz the sport is increasingly lacking. The ex-quarterback still moves the needle even though he hasn’t moved the chains in four years. Baseball needs to ride the Tebow train as long as it can. The instant Timothy R Tebow is signed on a pro contract, he’ll become the most famous player in the sport.

The obvious question is: can Tebow find any lasting success in professional baseball, even in just the minor leagues. The obvious answer? Absolutely no one knows. But let’s think about it anyway, shall we?

Tebow’s longtime throwing coach is former major league pitcher Tom House. He told Fox Sports that his muscle-bound 6ft 3in, 245lb pupil has “stupid power”.

“Tim’s got a chance. But as far along as he is, pitch recognition is gonna be a key. He can run, he can throw and he can field. I think it’s gonna be fun to see how he does.”

Not exactly a Cooperstown guarantee, but far from an outright dismissal either. Retired slugger Gary Sheffield went even further, tweeting he believes Tebow can make it to the majors.

Tim Tebow: ‘His only shot would be as a pitcher,’ in one MLB scout’s opinion. Photograph: Dominick Reuter/Reuters

There are also those who think the whole thing will be a disaster. Said one MLB scout: “I can imagine he’s shown some BP potential. However, Ted Williams was right. Hitting is the hardest thing to do in all of sports and you add time off to that equation and it’s nearly impossible. His only shot would be as a pitcher.”

That’s clearly the opinion of someone who watches more baseball than football. Tebow had a 47% career completion percentage. The only way he could pitch is as a reliever specializing in unintentionally intentionally walking batters.

Tebow will inevitably be compared to the original famous athlete to give baseball a go late in his athletic life: Michael Jordan. When the Bulls legend attempted the sport in 1994, he was 31 and hadn’t played since little league. Tebow will be only 29 and played baseball in high school in Florida, hitting .494 with four home runs and 30 RBI in 2005. Tebow is also three inches shorter than Jordan, giving him a smaller strike zone and shorter swing. As big a punchline as Jordan’s baseball career has always been, it was a huge accomplishment that he managed to hit above .200 at the Double-A level after not having touched a bat for 19 years. Most people, even good athletes, wouldn’t approach .050.

Everything suggests Tebow should at least be able to best Jordan. If that means posting an average in the mid-.200s in Double-A and using his strength and power to hit in the neighborhood of 20 home runs, that’s the kind of thing that could earn a late-season major league call-up to a big league club. Sure, a promotion with those middling numbers would partly be due to the publicity it would bring. But baseball can use some publicity. Baseball can use some Tebow.